Kara Dennison
May 7, 2023 
Internationally-produced anime is nothing new. The Gen X-ers among us remember Mysterious Cities of Gold fondly, and Miraculous Ladybug has a heck of a following. Plus, with streaming companies co-producing series regularly, it’s becoming even more common by the season. But there are several new anime whose roots are mostly, if not fully, outside Japan.
If any of these recent titles have caught your eye, you might enjoy looking into their origins. Their source material—and in some cases the bulk of their production—is outside Japan!
Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke’s Mansion
One of the hot new anime this season is another literary isekai. In Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke’s Mansion, Rinko Hanasaki finds herself reincarnated into her favorite book as a minor but pivotal character. Rather than dying to set off the story, she chooses to turn things in her favor. But real ones know that, originally, Rinko was named Park Eun-ha.
The source material is a South Korean web novel by author Milcha, and has been syndicated in novel and WebToon format via Kakao. The series has a huge following around the world, and for good reason. Raeliana’s tale of romance, intrigue, and murder appeals no matter where you’re from.
Arknights
With one series under its belt and a new anime installment on the way, Arknights is prepared to conquer multiple forms of media. Based on a tower defense game with ludicrously good animation and worldbuilding, the series caught the eyes of many on its premiere. And, frankly, so did the game.
The original Arknights app originated in China, released by developer Hypergraph. Yostar gave the series its global boost, and produces both Prelude to Dawn and Perish in Frost. It’s not hard to see why a worldwide audience has embraced this sci-fi epic.
X&Y
Not to be confused with the Pokémon games and anime of the same name, X&Y is a new anime tapped into the modern fascination with escape rooms. Also known as Aiyou’s Secret Room or Aiyou de Michi, it follows businessman Yan Yuechu on a casual after-work trip. The escape room he and his friend visit has murder mystery undertones and a lovely proprietress named Aiyou. But despite leaving, Yuechu can’t seem to escape.
There are terrifying rumors surrounding X&Y, and there’s no telling which are true. All Yuechu knows is the escape room and its mysteries seem to be following him wherever he goes. At 16 minutes per episode, this Chinese series from bilibili is worth a look.
Looking for something new? Check out these manga in their early chapters!
